Assistant to the President for Homeland Security

Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
Incumbent Tom Bossert since January 20, 2017
Executive Office of the President Homeland Security Council staff
Appointer	The President
Constituting instrument	The post is defined by executive order.
Formation	2001
First holder	Tom Ridge
Deputy	Deputy Homeland Security Advisor
Website	The White House

The Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, commonly referred to as the Homeland Security Advisor and occasionally holding the title of Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, is a senior aide in the Executive Office of the President, based in the West Wing of the White House, who serves as the chief in-house advisor to the President of the United States on homeland security and counterterrorism issues. The Homeland Security Advisor is a statutory member of the Homeland Security Council. Serving at the pleasure of the President, the Homeland Security Advisor does not require Senate confirmation for appointment to the office.

Bush originally created an interim Office of Homeland Security in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, with Tom Ridge serving as its Director, until the formal creation of the HSC on October 5, 2001. The current Homeland Security Advisor is Tom Bossert, who assumed the role on January 20, 2017.

Under the George W. Bush administration, the Homeland Security Advisor was independent of the National Security Council, residing within the Homeland Security Council. Under the Obama administration, while the Homeland Security Council remained, the Advisor held the title of Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, subordinating the position to the National Security Advisor. The Trump transition team has announced that the Homeland Security Advisor will not be a deputy to the NSA, but will instead be of equal rank to the National Security Advisor and will be independent of the National Security Council.